Hush: Born of Mud
by Tanner Cook
Summary: Near the end of the Dark Age, a new guardian rises. Follow him as he travels the land, encounters enemies of the light, learns of the darkness, and finds friends and makes new enemies. Hush will contain adult content. Reader discretion is advised.
1. Chapter 1

Hush:

Born of Mud

The rain splashed on the ground soaking everything. It was funny how one little drop of water can't do much but when many of them fall together, the world is soaked. It continued to fall turning the dirt floor of the forest into a muddy slog. But that was no problem for the ghost. The rain hit its gold and black shell splashing off, running down, and dripping to the forest floor below. He'd been searching for a long time for an individual worth raising as his guardian. This forest was once a war zone. There were still massive craters from the ordinance detonating in the fields. Rusted husks of weaponized vehicles littered the fields. Trees were lying on their sides and others were scorched.

The ghost thought this would be a good place to find someone worthy of being a guardian. He'd already scanned three hundred seventy-three bodies but none of them were worthy of the light. None of them had that connection. It's been a few hundred years since the ghost was created and half a planet away but he could feel that he was close to his guardian. He started moving to the last of the bodies. These were tucked back in trees off to the side of the battle. He scanned the bodies and on the third body, he felt… connected.

He could feel this spark inside the body that mirrored the spark within himself. This was it! This was his Guardian. He scanned the body, pouring light into the corpse buried in the mud. All that remained above the surface was the camouflaged cloak. He kept the light flowing in until he felt it grab hold. Until he felt it fill the body and bring them back. A hand shot out of the mud above the head. It slapped down in the mud sinking slightly and it pushed the rest of the body up.

The rain began washing off the mud revealing the black sleeve underneath. The mud shifted and a second elbow rose from the mud. It mirrored the other and with a massive shove the mud shifted further and a body rose from the slop. At first, it was just a mound of black mud but the rain began to wash it off. Slowly the mud thinned leaving an outline of a body behind. The body pushed itself to its knees and reached its hands up to wipe away the mud still caked to the visor. The ghost excitedly flew down to the guardian hovering in front of the guardian's visor. "I found you! Oh, I'm so happy!" the ghost said.

"What...Who...Who are you?" the guardian said. His voice was deep and gravelly.

"I'm Mitano. I'm a ghost, well, your ghost that is."

"My what?"

"Ghost. They said you wouldn't remember anything before being I'm not sure how to put this gently so here it goes. You were dead, and I found you. I'm a ghost. I was part of a great machine called the traveller. There was a great war and the traveller sacrificed itself to bring it to a temporary end. Then it sent us out to find those worthy of wielding its light. And I found you."

"I'm...worthy?"

"Yes! You are. I'd been looking for hundreds of years and scanned hundreds of thousands of bodies. Yours was the only one that I was connected too. So I brought you back."

"Wow. You said wielding the travellers light. What is that?"

Mitano turned around quickly and looked at the sky. "There's a Fallen Ketch coming in. You need to take cover."

"A Fallen what?"

"A dropship. For aliens that would shoot you in the face as soon as they see you so GET DOWN!" The guardian dove to the side underneath the branches of a tree. Once he got under the branches he heard a high pitched whine as the rain was whipped around the clearing he was just in. The wind blew the air around as the sound passed overhead. "They're stopping and dispatching. You need to arm yourself. Quickly!"

The guardian had no idea what was going on but he trusted his ghost. He's not sure why, he couldn't remember anything, but he knew he could trust Mitano. He looked over the clearing where the ship had disturbed the mud. He saw the handle of a sidearm sitting in the mud and quickly crossed the clearing and grabbed the gun's handle. He pulled it out of the mud but it was rusted and broken. It wasn't going to be any good for him.

He tossed the handle away and looked around again. There weren't any other items around but there were bodies sitting in the mud, recently uncovered from the wind of the ship. The armor was black and they had camouflage cloaks on their backs. He felt sadness but couldn't tell why. He assumed that he'd known these people in his first life but he couldn't remember them. One of them had a knife in a sheath strapped to its chest. He looked down to see he too had a knife strapped to his chest. He pulled the knife out of the sheath but the blade was broken.

He crawled to the body and pulled the knife from the sheath there. The blade came out and it was clean and intact. He slipped the knife into his sheath on his chest and started searching over the body for another weapon. As he shifted the armor he found a hole in the stomach of the body armor. It had scorch marks surrounding the hole. He quickly looked down at his own armor but there were no holes in the armor. "There is a hole in the back of your armor and through your cloak," Mitano said as though reading his thoughts.

He stripped the cloak off his back and grabbed the cloak off this body. He covered it in mud and pulled it onto his back. He wasn't sure how he knew to do the things he was but he wasn't about to argue. He crawled back to the tree, keeping low so the mud on the cloak could disguise his body on the ground. He caked it on thick so the rain wouldn't wash it off as quickly. He got up against the tree trunk and peered out into the field.

Creatures hit the ground as he peered out. He felt an instant rage and hate but again, he wasn't sure why. There were four dregs, small creatures with two arms and legs holding pistols and knives. Under their arms were two small extensions with metal caps over top. They had four eyes each and spiky hair. There were three vandals. These creatures were slightly taller than the dregs that landed before. They too had four eyes but instead of the silver caps under the dregs arms, these ones had a second set of arms. They also wore a helmet that was angular with fins protruding from the sides. These vandals carried rifles as apposed to the pistols the dregs carried. The last one that dropped down was much larger than the vandals. This captain wore a bright red cape and a larger helm. It too had four arms but as it hit the mud the rain was stopping just short of the captain. Each drop glowed slightly blue before sliding to the ground as though off a glass bubble surrounding the Captain.

The Captain barked out orders in a language that the Guardian didn't understand and the dregs began to spread out, their eyes scanning the woods. As they spread out the vandals began to scan and spread out slightly behind them. They were moving much slower, pulling their rifles to their eyes and scanning the area. The captain pulled his rifle to his shoulder and began looking around the group as they expanded.

One of the dregs was moving toward the guardian. His gun and knife were both lowered. It obviously wasn't expecting trouble. Too bad for it. As it pushed through the brush up to where the guardian was hiding it noticed the guardians shape too late. The mud and dark armor made it easy for the guardian to hide. As the dreg noticed the guardian he started to bring his pistol to bear but the guardian was already moving. He grabbed the top of the pistol keeping it aimed at the ground while he brought the knife up. The tip of the knife connected the bottom of the dregs jaw. It dug in and the guardian continued to force the blade up. The knife pierced through the dreg's skin. The guardian felt the blade pop through the skin and again as it breached what must have been the palate on the roof of the dregs mouth and into the brain. The dreg went limp and the guardian pulled the pistol from the dregs hand and let the body fall.

He sheathed his knife and stepped out from behind the tree and he leveled the pistol. He fired four quick shots. Two dregs hit the ground as their heads burst and a white gas flooded from within the dregs breathing apparatus. A reddish-purple liquid, the dregs blood, splattered into the mud, quickly lost. The last two rounds slammed into a vandals chest. That same reddish-purple blood sprayed from the wounds as the body fell back into the mud and was still.

Now the other dregs and vandals were turning toward the guardian along with the captain. They cursed out in their own language and raised their rifles. The vandals and dregs opened fire but the rounds were slower than bullets, flying slow enough the guardian was able to spin to the side missing the shots. He fired twice more and two remaining dregs fell. One with a headshot and the other was hit center mass in the chest. More white gas, more fallen blood as the last two dregs fell.

The two remaining vandals shot again. The guardian spun to the side again but as he was stopping the captain fired his own rifle. The round was heading straight for the guardian but stopped just short of his chest. _You have an over shield that can absorb a few shots before it fades. Once it fades you'll take direct damage that, if fatal, will kill you but I will be able to raise you again after._ The thoughts were in his head instantly in Mitano's voice. A benefit of the direct link between guardian and ghost.

Smiling, the guardian pulled the trigger three more times. One of the vandals spun out of the way and the shot passed by where he was just earlier without harming anyone. The second vandal attempted to do so as well but the second round caught him in the leg and as he was stumbling the final round hit his back left shoulder. The vandal fired another shot and the energy dissipated on the shield. He could almost see how much energy the shield had thanks to the ghost's connection. The Guardian charged forward rather than reload his pistol.

He jumped into the air, higher than he thought possible, and he came down on the vandal that was still standing. He swung his left fist at the vandal's head connecting with the right side of its face. He grabbed the top of the rifle and yanked hard. The gun broke free from the vandal's grasp and the guardian swung it like a bat connecting with the vandals head. The apparatus broke and white gas burst into the surrounding air. The guardian spun the rifle around and brought it to his shoulder. He fired one round at the vandal he was fighting and the round tore through its neck. Fallen blood burst out the back of the vandal's neck.

He turned the rifle to the vandal lying on the ground who was wounded previously and fired two shots into its chest and a third one into the creature's head. The body went limp and blood began to infuse with the mud around it. The guardian turned back toward the previous vandal to get ready to address the captain when he noticed that some of the blood splatters from the vandal's neck hadn't fallen to the ground as it was supposed to but rather held in place in the air. The splatter was moving towards the guardian and as soon as he realized this he felt three hard slashes against his body. The shield was instantly depleted. He was exposed.

The guardian fired the rifle at the floating splatter and a mist of fallen blood appeared in the air behind it. The cloak failed and the marauder was exposed. He was like the other vandals but his helmet was rounded on the sides and he had a cloak covering his back with the cowl pulled over his helm. He fell back to the ground, the twin blades that he wielded in his upper arms splashed into the mud. Then the guardian felt it, piercing pain in his shoulder and stomach.

He looked down and could see two bloody wounds, one in the front of his shoulder and one in his stomach. He looked around at what could have shot him but he didn't see what had hit him. The land around him was distorted but he wasn't sure if that was something to be concerned with or if that was just his blood loss. But then the captain stepped up.

He said some stuff in that odd language as he approached. The distortions suddenly faded and two more marauders were standing where the distortion once was. Their blades were stabbed into his body where the blood was coming from. The captain made a noise that resembled laughter and raised his hand. The marauders pushed their blades deeper and the guardians vision turned black as he experienced death for second time.

Suddenly light filled his eyes. He jerked upright and saw the captain and the two marauders walking away from him. From the neural link the guardian knew the ghost brought him back again. He knew the ghost would time and time again. But the sensation of dying. The dark, the cold, the feeling of the last bit of our life exiting your body, it was torture. He made a promise to himself right then, no more dying. The ghost would bring him back but it wasn't necessary as he was never going to die again.

He saw the captain and the marauders walking away, their backs to him. They were walking away, relaxed, almost joyous. Glad that they'd killed another human. Or at least thought they'd killed one. The guardian was so angry. So upset that they were so smug in killing. He feels like he'd known people who enjoyed blood before and that it ended badly. He felt an energy inside him swell. It felt like it was burning up inside of him. He wanted to stop them. He wanted to stop them and make sure they never hurt anyone again.

The ketch that they'd dropped in from was hovering in the air. As they stopped beneath it the air distorted again as they began to be pulled into the air. They were going to get away. The Guardian couldn't allow that. He felt the energy building inside of him, ready to burst. He needed to let it out. And he needed to stop the ketch. He pointed his hand up at the ship and allowed the energy to leave him from the palm of his hand.

A beam of orange, blue, and purple energy leapt from his hand and flew towards the ketch. The captain and the marauders were only halfway up to the ketch when the beam hit. The guardian didn't know what would happen when the beam connected but was pleasantly surprised when it slammed into the metal and passed through into the ship. A moment later the hull began to bulge and fire and smoke leapt from the cracks that were appearing all over its body. The panels began separating. It looked as though it would burst and it did shortly later. An explosion shook the ground and flung rain, mud, and debris across the field. The guardian knew that this was the light but it surprised even him how powerful it could be.

The three fallen that were in the air fell back to the ground. One marauder landed on a fallen tree, a thick branch piercing it through the chest, impaling it. The other two hit the ground just as the debris from the destroyed ship rained down around them. One chunk of metal slammed down on the marauder. He was gone in a second, no sign of its body under the heavy panel. A second later another chunk of metal slams down on the captain. A flash of blue is seen and then he goes down, buried under the frame of the ship.

A few metal shards slammed into the ground around the guardian, a few even stabbing into him or glancing off his armor but nothing too serious. He pulls the shards out and the ghost healed him up a few seconds later. He stood up straight and began to brush the mud off and started walking towards the fallen ketch to look for anything he can scavenge.

As he walked in he could hear the grunting of the captain buried somewhere in the burning husk of the ship. He approached the bent and warped frame and looked in. The captain was still alive, pinned beneath some bent metal, the fire approaching. He was reaching for a bag that was secured to what the guardian assumed used to be a piece of wall. There were only three feet between the captain's arm and the bag but it might as well have been a mile. The metal pinning the captain to the ground was piercing down on his right shoulder, his chest plate was broken, exposing his chitin covered chest. Half the helmet was broken as well, pieces missing exposing the bleeding skin underneath.

The guardian climbed into the wreckage and approached the captain. Staying out of reach of the one remaining flailing arm, he walked over to the bag. He opened it up and peered inside, and smiled. He reached in and pulled out a black and green hand cannon. He opened the cylinder to see if it was loaded. It had ten rounds in the cylinder but three were spent. That's fine, he still had the seven here and the bag was filled with ammo and other guns and they were all in good condition.

He took the bag off the wall and slung it over his shoulder. It wasn't as heavy as he expected it to be. Was that the light making him stronger? He didn't know but he was grateful. He turned to the captain who was swinging wildly at the guardian, trying to hit him. "Now that's no way to treat the only one who can help you is it?" the guardian said cooly.

The captain started screaming at him in that same unknown language. "Do you speak english? Can you communicate? Maybe some sign language?" the guardian continued. The captain continued speaking in his own tongue. The guardian leveled his revolver at the captain's head and pulled the trigger. The gun rang out as the bullet pierced the captains head. There would have been more white mist bursting from the wound except it had already leaked out.

The blood from the shot splashed up and hit the guardians visor on his helmet. He turned and climbed out from the wreckage before he was caught in the fire. He pulled his helmet off to clean it up and after wiping the visor off he noticed a small tin plate bolted to the back of the helmet just above the neck. It said his name, but just one name: HUSH. He didn't know if it was his first or last name or even if it was his real name, but it was a name. And he was making it his.

The weapons that the fallen had in the bag were new, they were kept clean. That means that there has to be humans out there in the world. "You ready Spooks?" Hush asked his ghost.

"Yes, let's go find some others." Mitano answered. So, shouldering his bag or weapons he looked around at the battleground one last time before walking toward the horizon as the rain stopped and the sun began to shine.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was nightfall by the time Hush hit the bottom of the mountain. He had seen a village in the distance as he moved down the mountain. He was hoping to find it and that it wouldn't be abandoned. Mitano was talking the whole way down bringing Hush up to speed on the state of the world. He explained the war and the Traveler and the fall of humanity. He told Hush about the Fallen and their constant raiding of human villages. He told them about the warlords who were risen that ruled their lands with an iron fist. He even told Hush about a gunslinger he'd heard about once that used the light to infuse his hand cannon with fire.

As they got to the bottom of the mountain Hush asked, "So why did you choose me? Of all the people out there why did you pick me?"

"I'm not sure how to explain that. It's just a feeling we ghosts have. When we scan a potential candidate we just…feel it. If we don't have that connection we move on. With you, I had it. Some ghosts are still looking for their connection and may be for some time. Others found it within a day or two."

"So you scanned me and I just felt right?"

"Pretty much. It's hard to explain but it's the only way I can explain it."

Hush thought back, trying to recall his memories from his life before he was a risen. His memories failed him again. He couldn't remember his full name; he couldn't remember if he had a family, he couldn't remember where he was from, what he was doing when he died, or any of his friends. "So why can't risen remember their life before being risen?"

"I'm not sure on that one. Since the Traveler has gone dark we don't have the ability to ask this question. Other ghosts warned me that you wouldn't remember but not why. I think it might have to do with this being a second life or maybe it's because the Traveler didn't want each of the raised to know who they were previously to avoid…complications."

"Complications?"

"Well, if we connect with a criminal, we don't want them to know they are a criminal, or if they suffer from guilt or pain, we would rather have a risen that was not distracted and ready to fight. I can't say for sure that this is the case but the only one who can answer that hasn't been speaking for a few hundred years."

"Well it makes sense. Do you know anything about my past?"

"I do not. But based on where I found you, I would assume you were a soldier."

"Interesting." They continued to walk in silence for a short time as they were approaching the village. After hearing about the warlords Hush wanted to wait and see what he was in for when he approached the village. The ghost vanished from sight in a flash of light. Hush himself dropped to the ground and crawled under some bushes until he could get a view of the village itself.

After leaving the Fallen battle sight Hush went over his inventory that was strapped to his back in the ground. Most of it was rations that had long since expired but some of the items that he'd found were a binocular set, a map of the area, and some water bottles. The water bottles helped his thirst but he was starting to get hungry. The sun was beginning to set and the village was alive.

Hush pulled his binoculars out of his pack and started scanning the village. It was a small village. Both ends of the village were visible. The buildings were a mix between 21st century architecture and log cabins with the logs filling the gaps in the walls of the more modern homes. The people were wearing clothes that were a mix between traditional 21st century clothing and rags with the exception of the guards. The guards for the village were wearing armor similar in nature to the armor that Hush himself was wearing. They also had assault rifles in their hands and they were nonchalantly pacing around the streets and looking into the distance.

They all wore a dark blue armor except for one. There was a larger man who stomped around and shouted out in a gruff voice. Hush couldn't make out the words but could just hear the manner of his voice. It was loud and commanding. As he approached the others suddenly straightened up and quickly got into action running about to seemingly nowhere. This larger gruff man was dressed predominately in red but had sections of blue spattered around his armor. He must be the captain of the village guard.

As the sun dipped deeper in the sky the captain began shouting more aggressively, not just at the guards anymore but also the villagers themselves. They started running off after he yelled and entered various buildings. It would appear that he was telling them to retire for the night due to some kind of curfew. Or that they were expecting something to attack and he was telling them to get inside to be safe.

Hush was unsure which one it was so he opted to stay put and see if something attacked. He didn't want to be caught in between them in a fight especially out in the open. After several minutes the sky was dark and the village was lit with lanterns hanging high in the streets around the buildings. It was apparent there was no attack happening and it did appear to be a curfew.

"What's the plan?" Mitano asked.

"Well, I guess we go introduce ourselves."

"What if they aren't too happy to see a new face?"

Hush was quiet for a moment before saying, "Well let's just hope it doesn't come to that and wing it if it does." He sprung to his feet and started walking the distance between the forest edge and the village. It wasn't far but the village hadn't reacted yet so he figured it was far enough to prevent them from seeing him. Suddenly the village began to awaken. The guards were shouting and some of the lower lanterns were being moved about as unseen carriers were moving them around the village. Hush held his hands up to show that he meant no threat but then he realized the light was moving away from the village edge.

Hush, thinking they were being attacked on the opposite side, quickly picked up the pace to reach the towns edge as soon as possible. He debated drawing his hand cannon but resisted. He didn't want to look like a raider when he reached the village. He made it to the edge of the buildings and found them to be relatively deserted. There were no guards and no villagers. They hadn't come out of the buildings so Hush assumed they had gone to bed. There were no sounds of battle and if there had been the villagers would probably have fled. So what caused the commotion?

Hush followed the light until he reached the center of town. There, in the middle of the square, was a wooden platform with a tall log beam attached. Hush didn't know how he knew, but he recognized it as a gallows. On the platform, cast in the orange light of the lanterns carried by the guard surrounding him, was the red armored captain.

He held a beautiful woman by her upper arm next to him. She appeared to be no older than 17 or 18 years old and she was pushing him and fighting and trying to break his grip but he held strong. He was in the middle of a speech as well calling out in that deep gruff voice of his. "-curfew exists for the sake of our protection. If the village were to be attacked, the guards wouldn't have time to worry about you. You would be a distraction and one that we cannot afford and all for a boy no less." The crowd of guards were silent. "For the crime of breaking curfew, I bestow upon you the punishment of ten lashings."

Hush couldn't believe it. From what he heard, this girl snuck out of bed to meet a boyfriend and she was going to be whipped ten times for it? He felt sick to his stomach. It got worse when the captain tied her hands above her head, hanging from the gallows, and ripped off her shirt, exposing her in front of the whole guard. The captain stepped back and Hush could have sworn he was smiling at her as he did. He enjoyed this. One of the guards standing closest to the platform stepped forward and handed the captain a long whip. It had a thick leather handle and three strips of leather coming to individual points as it was drug across the ground as the captain gave himself space between him and the girl.

The captain pulled his arm back to swing but Hush couldn't let him do it. "Stop!" he shouted. The captain turned and looked right at him as did all of the guards. Hush had his hands up to show that he wasn't brandishing any weapons but even then a second later a single sniper round slammed into his chest, right where his heart was.

However, the shielding provided by his light stopped the bullet and disintegrated it a mere inch from his chest. The shield immediately went down and Hush was exposed but he survived the shot unscathed. Without even thinking, as though it was instinct alone, Hush's hand fell to his thigh and wrapped around the handle of the hand cannon.

He pulled it up just enough to allow the tip of the barrel to clear the holster. His hand froze vertically and then rolled back instantly. The barrel of the gun was now aimed at the top of the building where the sniper had just fired from. He squeezed the trigger and the gun burst out a round. The round flew true and a second later a body fell from the roof of the building. Hush finished bringing the hand cannon up, ready for another target.

It was at this moment that his brain caught up to his body. He couldn't believe he'd moved so fast, that he'd been so accurate. Was this the light? Or was this training from his past life? The guards all stared at Hush, their mouth agape. The captain was the first to react, tossing the whip to the side as he drew a pistol from his thigh. "He's a light bearer! Kill Hi-," he wasn't able to finish the sentence. A second burst from Hush's gun flew true, hitting the captain in the lower jaw and exiting the back of his skull.

Three more guards began to level their rifles at Hush and with three more shots they all fell down. His shield was charged again by now. Another sniper took a shot giving his position away. He was a terrible shot though and the round missed. Hush fired his sixth round and the sniper fell back into the room from the window. Even though it couldn't be confirmed right at this moment Hush knew he'd killed him.

He turned back to the rest of the guards but they all threw their weapons to the floor. One ran onto the platform and untied the girl, covering her in a coat that he'd taken off himself. He quickly rushed her off the platform and towards her home while the guards that remained put their hands in the air and were awaiting their fate.

"I'm not going to harm you. I only came to seek shelter and food," Hush said.

"You killed our captain and five of our friends!" yelled one of the guards in the back.

"Only after being fired upon and threatened. I am sorry about your friends, really I am. But I will not stand around and allow myself to be killed either." The guards were quiet. Hush had no idea what they were thinking. "So, will you allow me to stay?"

"We have no food to spare and our shelters are scarce on the best days. Our warlord, Mindan Kull, requires a tax and all of our extra food goes to him," said one of the villagers who had begun to come out of their buildings once the gunshots ended.

"Mindan Kull huh? That's interesting. Does Mindan know that there were Fallen up on the mountain getting ready to come assault you? Would he have protected you?"

"Well, we as the guard and the captain you killed were assigned to this village by Mindan to protect it. He awards the villagers with protection for their tax of food," replied one of the guards.

"I see. So I should keep my move on huh?"

"It would probably be better if you just off yourself. Once Mindan finds out another warlord is traversing around his kingdom he is likely to hunt you down himself. He enjoys a good sport. You were as good as dead the moment you stepped foot here," said one of the exceptionally angry guards standing closer to Hush.

"Well I think I can hold my own and I will continue on my way. However, if that woman who was set to be punished is punished in any way, I will come back and slaughter any one of you. Am I understood?" The guards all nodded. "Good," he finished as he started walking away from the guards. He broke to the left and approached one of the guards he had killed. It was a clean shot through the chest. Hush grabbed the assault rifle off the ground as well as the ammo the guard had on him.

"You can't take that! That belongs to Mindan!" yelled that same angry guard.

"Then he can come and find me and take it back," Hush said without looking back. He walked over to the sniper that fell from the roof and picked up the sniper rifle off his body. As he was clearing the ammo off the body he noticed it was different. The rounds for the sniper rifle were charged with solar light. Hush knew that this rifle will do some damage. He strapped the sniper rifle to his back and stuffed the assault rifle in his bag. He reloaded his hand cannon, took one last look at the crowd that had gathered, and left.

As he was leaving the village on the edge of the town a woman called out to Hush. He turned back and saw that same woman he had stopped from being lashed run out to him from between the buildings. She was wearing a new shirt that had a faded image of a triangle and a light being refracted from it. She handed him a bag and simply said, "Thanks for protecting me," and ran off. Hush opened the bag and saw that it was full of dried meat, cheese, and bread. He smiled. It was nice to know that not everyone was as rotten as the guards. He was going to find Mindan and release his hold of this area. One way, or another.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Mitano asked.

"Not really but I need to stop this. If they are as bad as you say and from what I saw, he needs to be stopped. And if it's not me, who would?" Hush answered.

Mitano floated around contemplatively. "Remember, he won't die unless his ghost dies too. And if anything happens to me, I won't be able to bring you back and that would be the end of both of us. So…make sure that doesn't happen."

"Don't worry. I can take care of him."

"Despite the fact that he has more experience than you, has been around longer and learned to control his light better, and has several men likely coming with him to support him?"

"You worry too much." Hush was perched in a tree watching over the valley. The village was behind him about a day's journey away. He was sure that he would be able to see the group moving through the valley in front of him once they approached. He was perched in the tallest tree at the edge of a large forest. Rolling into the valley before him was a barren land full of scorched remains of the woods, a horrible scar from a fire that burned some time ago. He scanned the horizon through the scope of the rifle. There was a cloud of soot and dirt being kicked up in the distance.

He scanned the horizon and saw seven fast moving objects with people riding them. These objects were like motorcycles but they hovered over the ground. They were made up of simple panels with bright colors except for the one in the middle. The one in the middle looked like an old chopper motorcycle but front forks ended in three spiked blades and flames shot out the back. The handles were attached with chains and flames engulfed the front forks as it burned across the land. Hush guessed this is where the forest fire had come from. If the land hadn't been burned, hush wouldn't have his vantage point.

"Alright little buddy, here we go." They weren't heading straight for him, they were heading toward the village, but Hush would make sure they didn't make it. He took a breath and let his instincts sit in. He wasn't sure if it was training from a previous life or a natural gift but he knew he wouldn't miss. He squeezed the trigger and the rifle slammed back into his shoulder. The crack of the rifle chased the solar round across the field where it connected to its target.

The front forks of the flaming ride slammed down and to the right hitting the dirt and catching. The machine whipped end over end, the rider flung into the air and trampled by the tumbling machine. The carnage was lost seconds after it started due to the cloud of dust and soot catching up and downing it in obscurity like a natural censor. The remaining 6 individuals had continued on for a second before stopped just on the edge of the cloud, turning back to see the fate of their leader.

Hush pulled the trigger three more times and the rifle cracked three more times. The rounds flew true and three individuals fell to the ground, new holes in their glistening pristine helmets. The remaining three slammed on the throttle of their machines and began to scream across the land heading straight for Hush. He had to reload but wouldn't have time.

He dropped from the tree he was hiding in and quickly swapped his sniper rifle for his assault rifle and made sure it was loaded. He was ready. The three individuals made it into range and skid their machines sideways, hopping off to use them as cover against Hush. Hush was using the thick tree trunk as cover. He peeked around the tree and saw the three crouching in their cover. He could just see under the hovering craft from where he was.

He took aim and fired a burst from his rifle. The rounds slammed into the machine but one penetrated through and the woman crouching on the other side cried out as she fell. As she fell away from the machine her head was exposed and one more burst riddling her helmet and she was still. The man on the far right called out her name though Hush couldn't make out what it was. He turned his machine towards the tree and hit the handle. The machine roared to life and soared at the tree hush was using as cover. He jumped to the side just as the machine hit the tree trunk and exploded out. The tree was blown in half and fell with a deafening thud a small distance away from him.

The machine was fully destroyed and metal shrapnel was scattered around. Hush scrambled to use the fallen tree trunk as cover. He peaked over and a spray of bullets slammed into the wood and whizzed around him. Two rounds would have hit his helmet but the protective shield disintegrated the rounds right before impact but the energy bar at the top of Hush's display in his visor showed the shield drop slightly for each round.

He dropped to the ground, peeking just under the trunk as it was resting at a small angle. He could just see the man's torso. He pulled the trigger and a red mist filled the air as the man fell back and the bullets tore through his body. As he hit the ground Hush stood up to see what had happened to the third soldier as they hadn't fired at him as of yet. And as soon as he did, he knew why.

The third soldier had taken off her helmet and tossed it to the side. In her arms she lifted a massive belt fed machine gun she had just finished loading. With a satisfying and horrifying clack-clack she pulled back the charging handle. She screamed as she pulled down the trigger and the weapon exploded to life.

Bullets tore through the forest as trees and grass were cut in half as the spray of bullets tore through the forest. Hush slammed his body to the ground and screamed as a deafening roar pierced the air for several seconds as the shooter held the trigger down hoping to hit Hush. After a few seconds the log that he was using as cover split in half from the rounds piercing through. Three rounds came through and hit Hush but the assault rifle was in the way, taking the rounds and lessening the impact, sparing Hush's life. He managed to slide into more cover and let his shield recharge and look at the damage to his rifle.

The rounds punched clean through, completely destroying the weapon. Hush could feel the tree he was leaning against vibrating and thumping as the rounds continued to slam into it. He tossed the broken assault rifle to the side and pulled out his hand cannon. He took a deep breath and prepared to step out. The thudding got stronger and began to hurt and take energy from Hush's shield as the rounds began to push through the tree. A second or two longer and it would punch through and even his shield wouldn't be able to stop them for long.

But he didn't need to worry about that. Just as he was prepared to move from the broken cover he heard the satisfying click following the roar of noise and then silence, empty, perfect. Hush spun around the tree raising his hand cannon to this eyes. The woman was mid reload when she saw Hush pull around the corner. She dropped the machine gun and pulled a shotgun up that was hanging from her hip. She brought it up and fired a round but she was too far. The few pellets that connected with Hush were dissipated by what was left of his shield. His shield was down but it wouldn't matter, she wouldn't get another shot.

One lone crack followed the blast of the shotgun as the hand cannon fired and the woman fell. Hush walked over to her body while he waited for his shield to recharge. He grabbed the shotgun off her body and slung it across his back. After that he picked up the machine gun and inspected it. It was a nice weapon but it had no ammo. He had it stored away with the sniper rifle for now. As he turned to go make sure that the warlord was dead he noticed the high pitched whine coming up on him fast.

Hush whipped around just to see the flaming ride flying right for his head, fast and driverless. He dropped to the ground landing on his back as the machine passed over him. As it cleared his body and slammed into a tree, Hush looked up just to see a flaming hammer coming down right for his chest. He rolled quickly to the left and the hammer slammed into the ground where he just was, dirt and rocks flying out from the impact point. Wielding the hammer was the rider of the flaming machine, Mindan Kull. The armor gave no impression of the sex of Mindan but as they spoke they betrayed her gender.

"You killed my lieutenants. You sacked my village. You are a thorn in my side, wannabe warlord. And now, I will prune that thorn!" She screamed as she brought the hammer down again. Her visor was black so he couldn't see her face but he saw her eyes glowing softly behind the dark glass as the light flowed from her body. Hush had to act quickly, he needed to fight back. He is unsure why but he put his hands up to block the hammer and allows the light to flow from him. Blue arcing energy connected between his hands and extended beyond them both.

The hammer slammed down on the blue staff and a flash of light burst between them and the hammer stopped. The arc staff held. Hush pulled one side down while pushing the other up, creating a slope for the hammer to slide down. As Mindan pitched forward from the shock of the change in balance Hush put his foot up connecting with her stomach and kicked hard. Mindan's feet left the ground and her body pitched over Hush as he tossed her over his head. She hit the ground with a thump and Hush scrambled to get to his feet. She did the same and they were both standing, staring at each other, her wielding a flaming hammer and he wielding a lighting staff.

"Clever," she said. "But it won't happen again. Let's see if you can stop me now!" She pulled her arm back and threw the hammer at Hush. He wasn't sure what took him over again, instincts or training, but he spun the staff quickly creating a round shape in front of him as the hammer struck. The staff deflected the hammer off to the side where it dissipated. A new hammer appeared in her hand and she threw it as well. Hush kept spinning his staff as hammer after hammer was thrown at him. As every hammer hit he could feel his body draining. He wasn't going to be able to keep this up for long. He had to end this.

Every time he attempted to stop his defense a new hammer slammed into him. He couldn't stop, not without being hit. Maybe that was it? Maybe he needed to lose in order to win? He waited until a hammer hit and he stopped his defense. He held his staff in such a way that the next hammer that hit would work as a weight slamming down on a lever, springing the other end of the staff right for Mindan's head. The hammer slid down and connected with Hush's leg just as the staff hit the side of Mindan's head. Hush first saw the hammer melt his shield before feeling it hit his leg. He felt the bones shatter and the skin char as the fire began to engulf his body. He was going to die, but Mindan was going to die first.

Mindan's body disintegrated just a touch faster, whether it was from the faster speed of lightning over fire or because he hit her in the head he didn't know. But as he collapsed after his leg was consumed he saw a little ghost appear, not far from where Mindan just disintegrated.

"Wait," said Mitano having appeared as well. "Don't bring her back. She is not a good light bearer."

"She protects the people in her territory. She keeps marauders away. She saves those she loves. My loyalties and respect are with my guardian, always." With that the shell opened and light began to flood the area. A loan boom echoed through the valley as the shotgun Hush had fired. The ghost was torn apart by the blast and a massive wave of light flew across the valley, laying down grass and bending trees in a circular nature away from where the ghost was in all directions. Hush was thrown across the ground as he felt the rest of his body burn away, drifting into the black.

A second later he fell a foot to the ground and took in another breath. "Let's not do that again." Mitano said, hovering in front of Hush.

"What you didn't think that was any fun?" Hush replied with a smile.

"That's not funny."

"Okay, Okay. I can't promise I won't do it again. I'll always stop evil where ever it lies, but I'll try to be more careful. And I mean hey, we lost an assault rifle but we got a shotgun and machine gun so I call that a win."

"I call that more tools to be reckless."

"Semantics. Either way, it looks like we got a ride too." As Hush said this he threw his thumb towards where the flaming machine was resting after it crashed into the trees. It was still in an okay condition and there was no sign of the shot from Hush's rifle.

"I've heard of these, they are called Sparrows. I can store them for you while not in use and save their schematics so that if one were to be destroyed I can create a new one. That must be why this one is still in fair condition even after getting shot."

"Fair enough, Mitano won't need it anymore so why don't we take it for a spin?" Hush grinned as Mitano scanned not only the flaming sparrow but one of the standard ones as well. He got a fresh new standard sparrow so he didn't burn the rest of the forest down and he zipped across the valley back towards town with some fragments of Mindan's ghost to show proof of death and let them know that they were free once again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The sparrow zipped across the valley as Hush held open the throttle as far as it could go. The land around him whipped past at break-neck speed. He slalomed around trees that he was barely able to miss. If he wasn't high on adrenaline and had the light within him he likely would have slammed into one of the trees and torn himself apart.

"If you keep going at this pace you will likely end up killing yourself," said Mitano.

"Well if I do you would just bring me back right?" replied Hush as he whipped around a tree so close the bark peeled.

"Maybe I won't, just to teach you a lesson."

"You're funny." Hush could see the village on the horizon. They were both silent as he approached. Hush could just see movement at the edge of the town. The guards probably saw the plume of dust he was pulling behind him and came out to meet with Mindan.

"I don't like the look of this," said Mitano. Hush pulled to a stop a few hundred feet from the village. There were several guards outside of the village standing about lazily. As Hush stopped the dust that he was pulling in his wake overwhelmed him and swirled around obscuring him from the others.

He stepped off the sparrow and approached as the dust died down. As the dust settled and the guards saw who was stepping off the sparrow they all tensed. Hush could see their fingers move to their triggers. "What are you doing back? How'd you get that sparrow?"  
Hush tossed the ghost shell fragments to the guards feet. "Mindan is dead. I killed her."

The guard's face went white. Hush could feel their tension spread. He knew he could drop them all before they could do anything to him and he knew that they knew it too. He strode between the guards into the village. The guards were following close behind and whispering to each other but Hush couldn't make out what they were saying. He made his way to the middle of the village to make the announcement that they were all free but as he turned the corner and saw the town square he froze.

The gallows in the middle of the square had seven bodies hanging and decomposing from the beams. The body in the middle was the woman he had saved and who provided him with food. Right next to her was the guard who helped her out. Hush felt his blood run cold. A sign above the bodies read:

_Let them be a lesson that all who _

_disobey the rule of Mindan will be _

_punished._

Hush could feel his light begin to bubble and sting beneath his skin. He could feel the fire and lighting and void tearing through his body. The world muted for a moment and all he could hear is the thumping of the footsteps as one of the guards approached him from behind. He felt the air displace as the guard raised his hand. He heard the soft click as the hammer on the guard's revolver racked back. But before he could pull the trigger, Hush let the light out.

He released the light that had built up inside of him. The light burst out in a large yellow, blue, and purple dome from Hush. As the dome passed over the guards their bodies turned instantly to dust and were blasted into nothing. The wave of energy stretched out in all directions for a few hundred feet. Anything that it touched was destroyed instantly. When the wave dissipated buildings were left with a circular portion of the building just gone. The guards were gone. The gallows were gone. And the bodies that hung from the gallows were gone.

Hush could hear more of the guards running towards him from the parts of town that were still standing. The light was still coursing through him; his eyes began to glow with a swirl of yellow, blue, and purple. He began to rise off the ground, hovering a few feet above the ground. A burst could be heard as the guards started firing at him, the bullets disintegrating harmlessly off his shield. The meter in his display barely moved. He allowed himself a half smile and turned toward the gunfire. Five men stood there firing at Hush.

Hush's body had an aura of the same three colors coating him. He waived his hand and a wave of yellow jumped from his hand. Like a whip it cracked across all five. Their bodies began to blacken as they screamed. Their cries of pain could still be heard as they fell to the ground and turned to ash. More rounds started to impact from behind him.

Hush turned and three more guards, two women and a man, were firing at him. He raised his hand toward them and lightning sprang from his fingers straight toward the three. The bolts tore through their bodies and whipped back on themselves coming around on the guards once again, as the bolts came back around, the tips of each turned into the head of a dragon and they bit down on the guards heads before passing through them into the dirt. A loud crack sounded as the dirt exploded into the air. All of this occurred in less than a second.

Hush turned as more gunfire came from his left. He turned to face it and three more guards, two men and a woman, were firing at him while more people ran from him behind them. It was almost cute how these three could think they could cover the others retreat. He raised both of his hands over his head and under the guards running away purple energy formed and launched into the air, catching the individuals escaping. He brought his hands back down and the purple energy retracted back into the dirt, pulling their victims along with it. Nothing was left but the dirt which appeared to be undisturbed.

Hush willed himself closer to the three guards that were shooting as they stood staring behind them at the horror of what they just witnessed. Hush launched closer to the three and stopped inches away. He thrust his hand toward the closest and his arm, coated in purple void energy, pierced straight through. The other two began to run while the one impaled on his arm coughed and begged. Hush pulled him into the air and using his other arm, pulled his body in two.

He threw two halves of the guard's body toward the fleeing two and caused them to stop in their tracks as the two halves landed right in front of them. Hush approached the two and they fell to their knees begging him to spare them. "Did they beg? Did you spare them? I warned you that if you touched them you would pay. And it's time the debt be collected," he said.

"Hush, this isn't right. We should let them go. Let them spread word of what happens when they cross you," Mitano said pleadingly.

"No, they must pay." Hush raised his arms and bolts of lightning in the shape of dragons leapt from his fingers once again. They circled their prey before constricting on them. They quivered as the electricity flooded their bodies, the man's bladder emptied. After a moment of convulsion the two went limp and the dragons dissipated. "The world will know me not from my mercy, but from my wrath," Hush said, his voice echoing many times over as if speaking with multiple voices. "And this is where it starts." The last of his light burst from him in a circle blasting down the buildings and remaining structures that were surrounding him. Everything fell to the ground, buildings were reduced to rubble, grass and crops were laid flat against the ground. Even trees were uprooted and knocked to the ground.

As the light left his body and the burning stopped, Hush dropped a few feet to the ground. He landed but couldn't sustain his weight as his vision swam. His legs buckled as he fell to the ground. "Hush? Hush!" Mitano yelled, a distant voice in a fading world. Hush's vision went black and the world was lost.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello readers of Hush,

I apologize that I have not uploaded Chapter 5 of Hush: Born of Mud. Work and personal life have gotten super busy and

I haven't had the time to sit down and work on the chapter as much as I would like. It is started but it is not near finished. I apologize again for the

long wait that this has taken but want to assure you that I have not abandoned Hush or his journey and he will return soon.

Thank you everyone for being patient, Hush will return soon.

-T


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It had been days since Hush was brought to this castle. He was locked in a cell with a simply key lock, no way for his ghost to hack it open for him. So he was left to wait. On the third day he had heard gunfire in the distance. The fight lasted for a couple hours but the sounds eventually died out. The fifth and sixth days were also riddled with the sounds of gun fight. Finally on the 9th day his cell door opened and Shaxx entered.

"Have my people been feeding you?" he asked. Hush nodded. Two or three times a day an individual would stop by his cell and pass a tray of food under the gap at the bottom of the cell door. "Good," Shaxx continued. He walked over to the bed and sat on the mattress across from Hush who was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall.

"I don't think you're an Iron Lord. My men told me about how they took you down in the woods. Iron Lords never travel alone and are certainly much harder to sneak up on. So that leaves Warlord. You obviously killed Mindan. Was it to take her land?" Shaxx's voice was soft but still gruff and stern like a father telling a child why the dumb thing they did was dangerous.

"No," said Hush. He went on to tell Shaxx about the village, the harsh punishments that her people endured, and the young couple. Shaxx was quiet as Hush explained everything to him in great detail, including his attack on the village thereafter. He was hesitant at first, unsure how Shaxx would react. As Hush told about the innocents that fell in the village during his attack tears welled up in his eyes.

When he was finished Shaxx was quiet for a moment. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking beneath that helmet. Finally Shaxx asked just one question, "When were you raised?"

"About a month or two ago." Shaxx's body posture changed at this. It was impossible to tell without facial expressions but Hush guessed it was surprise.

"You are newly raised and you managed to take down one of the strongest warlords in the area, that's impressive."

"To be fair, she was on her own travelling with just a few people."

"Even then, in a one on one fight she should have decimated you. So you either got lucky, or there is something powerful within you."

"I don't feel very powerful. At least not until the light comes out."

"Light is a tool to be used by us. It doesn't make us. Just as an anvil cannot forge a hammer, the light cannot do great things without us wielding it. You are fresh light. I'm going to teach you how to use it. You're gear will be given back to you at the gate. I need your help with something.

…

As they approached the gate Hush noticed that his weapons and armor was all laid out on a table near the gate but as he got closer he saw that it wasn't his armor. The armor that he had was black with a dark green inlaid throughout. This armor was actually a white with gold accents. "This isn't my armor," he said to Shaxx.

"It is now."

"But where's my armor? That's what I want to use."

"You're armor is right over there," Shaxx said, pointing behind Hush. Hush turned and saw his breastplate on a stand on the other end of the gate. He started toward it when a bolt of blue light flew past his head. He hit the ground as the gunshot echoed around him. He looked up at saw that the bolt had hit the center of the armor and burned straight through. It was ruined. "You're armor is from a time when the only thing you had to worry about was kinetic rounds. That is not the case any longer. It had been so damaged that it is completely useless."

Hush was livid for having his armor destroyed but Shaxx wasn't wrong. The number of rounds that made it through was staggering and there were more patches then original armor left. He turned back and walked back to the table. He looked over the armor. It was light, flexible, and comfortable. He picked up the helmet, the visor inlaid in the shape of a "T" going from his eyes down to the bottom of the face plates. He turned it around to put it on and saw that the name plate had been removed from his previous helmet and laid into the back of this one. The only thing that wasn't white. He put the armor on and was surprised and how much better it felt. This brought up some concerns.

"This armor doesn't feel very thick, how is it better than my previous set?"

"This armor is made of a combination of Hadronic Essence, Plasteel Plating, and Sapphire Wire. The result is armor just as strong against kinetic rounds as the armor you had used previously. But the added benefit is it's much more highly mobile. You can move in ways you couldn't in the old set which for a hunter is good. And if you are hit by a blast from an energy weapon, the armor can dissipate the blast allowing for you to survive longer once your light shield drops which could be just long enough to get to cover so your ghost can restore it. This could be the difference between life and death."

"What do you mean hunter?"

"There are three types of risen. Titans, such as me, are heavy hitters. We can take a punch and keep on going. Warlocks use light over standard weapons. They are much more aligned with the light and focus on restoration and healing. Not many of them become warlords. The last are the Hunters, like you. Your abilities lie more in guerilla tactics rather than head on combat and when you do engage in combat directly you use your mobility to your advantage, hence the lighter armor. My armor can survive more damage than yours, but I can't move like you can."

"How can you tell a Titan from a Warlock from a Hunter?"

"Combat style mostly but if you can't see them in combat look at their armor. That usually helps. Titans will always have big bulky armor, warlocks usually have long robes or dresses with several ornaments connected to the light, and hunters will be slender and thin. Anyone can typically be anything but if a hunter was wearing titan armor they would be slow. And if a titan was wearing hunter armor they would be shot down too quick. So they usually find one discipline and stick with it. Your original armor was designed in much the same way as this set so I assumed you had to be a hunter."

Hush was trying to find faults with the armor but was having a hard time coming up with one. Finally he just said, "Well it's not very good camouflage."

Shaxx laughed heartily, his white armor glistening in the sun. "That's true, but risen aren't supposed to hide. We make it our point to be known. To strike fear in those that we are hunting, so they know we are coming."

"That's not typically my way."

"No but it will be." Shaxx nodded to the individuals standing on either side of the gate. The gate was lifted and Hush was able to see out past the castle and found a field littered with debris of broken machines and rotting bodies of the fallen that had died there. Through the middle a lone path descended from the castle to the main road.

"What happened here?" Hush asked.

"The House of Black, they attacked us several times of the past few days. We've repelled them back but they are reuniting. That's what I need your help with. We're going to finish them off while they are licking their wounds." He reached out toward Hush and in his hands he held a sniper rifle that was sleek and beautiful. "Take this. It fires arc rounds, should help punch through any captains shields that we come across."

Hush took the weapon and as they walked down the path asked, "What's the House of Black?"

"The Fallen are broken into houses. These houses are their own little hierarchies. They usually fight against other houses for dominance over one region or another. This used to belong to the House of Misery but then we started to see more and more of the House of Black and less of the Misery until all that was left was Black. House of Misery was destroyed, absorbed, or moved."

"How do you tell them apart?" Shaxx stopped and walked over to one of the dead dregs lining the path. He grabbed the creatures arm and pulled it up, showing Hush the chest. There, it had a long black smear covering the center of the chest. In the middle, as though scratched out of the paint or whatever it was, were three odd alien symbols. He then dropped the body and walked over to a vandal. He pulled the cape up to show it to Hush, it too was black and had the same three symbols.

"The houses all have their own unique colors and markings. You get to recognize them after a while."

"So do you give the houses their nicknames based on the symbols and colors or what?"

"No, they tell us. Some of the Fallen have learned to speak our common tongue after having heard so much of it from their raids but it's broken. Understandable though."

This was blowing Hush's mind. Not only did these creatures have hierarchy but they also had a grasp of their language. He never would have thought as he's only ever heard them speak their own language. They got to the road and Shaxx stopped. "Before we go any further," he said. "We need to get you used to your light so you don't have another event like the one in that village. You know your light as a defense but do you know it as a weapon?"

"I know it builds up in me and then I can let it out."

"That's like setting a fire in a forest and walking away. Nothing might happen, or you might destroy everything. When you let it out, you need to control it. The light will shape to your imagination. You can tell it what to do or what to make and it will obey you. If you just let it out it will do what it wants which can lead to mass devastation against both enemies and allies.

"There was a hunter I heard about once who summoned solar light into his gun and used that to destroy a dark warlord known as Dredgen Yor when regular bullets couldn't do it. You can try that, or you can try something else. For example," he said as he held out his hand. Purple light emanated from Shaxx as a purple shield of light appeared on his forearm. "With this shield I can defend," he said while taking a defensive stance. The purple light blasted out from him in both directions creating a wall of void energy that protected him and anyone standing next to him. He continued, "or attack," as he swung his arm. The shield flew from his arm like a Frisbee blaring towards the tree line on the opposite side of the road with insane speed. The disc slammed into one tree after another as it bounced around before returning to his arm. The trees that it hit were instantly cut through and as they fell the void energy consumed them and they were nothing more before they even hit the ground.

"You two can use your light to create both defensive and offensive weapons."

"I used it to create a staff of arc energy when I fought against Mindan."

"Perfect. As long as you channel it into something you can do whatever you would like, that is the power of the light and the gift that we have. Now summon your staff, let's see what you got!" Shaxx yelled as he threw the shield at Hush.


End file.
